Totally agree. And I think we can almost bank on the next series of films being more aesthetically like the comics, which I'll certainly enjoy too.

But like you said, it's that maturity Nolan brought to the character. It doesn't all have to be dripped in shadows for it to be "dark". Nolan was wise enough to know you can still shoot a lot of daytime scenes and use that to enhance the bleakness of the story. I love the uber-noir, uber-Gothic visual take on Batman too, I grew up on Burton and The Animated Series (ironically I find Nolan's films to be much more like film noirs in content, while those share more with it aesthetically). But the real world approach just gave the series so much weight and gravitas. Some people found it boring, but for me it was the complete opposite. It was playing up these fantastical elements against a believable backdrop that made everything seem even more incredible and massive. That happens to be my preference for most action/sci-fi, not just Batman.